According to the research, this is because formula milk is developed from cow’s milk and has a higher level of protein, which triggers the growth of fat cells in a way that breast milk doesn’t, because it’s made from natural hormones.

The study is the largest of its kind so far, featuring 30,000 children from 16 European countries, yet, once again, the World Health Organisation has been accused of putting unnecessary pressure on women to breastfeed, and shaming mums who can’t or don’t want to breastfeed.

Breast vs bottle: why do we get so mad?

‘It’s just another way to make mother’s feel guilty’, ‘it’s making mums feel like they have to breastfeed’ and ‘it’s another stress on new mums’ are just some of the (furious) responses I’ve read in response to the story, which at the time of writing has garnered thousands of comments across the platforms which have reported on it – both from those who breastfed, and those who didn’t.

And I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s what the World Health Organisation is doing at all.

It’s the World Health Organisation’s job to research and publish facts – that’s what it does – in order to help us, the world’s population, make informed choices.

They don’t exist to make mother’s feel guilty; they’re not saying we have to breastfeed our babies and they’re not trying to pile on the pressure for new mums, either. They’re simply researching and reporting the facts, which is what they’re supposed to do.

So why do we get so defensive, and take offense so easily, when it comes to breastfeeding? And when it comes to breast vs bottle, why do we get so mad? I just don’t understand it!

15 Comments

It’s such a contentious topics and at times I have felt almost a bit embarrassed to be pro breastfeeding as I didn’t want to upset anyone. I do wish that we could have the facts and make an informed choice without facing the judgement of others! #ThatFridayLinky

It’s because we’re talking about women’s bodies and what they *should* be doing with them. We have a lot of that already. The WHO didn’t report ‘facts’, it reported a likelihood based on research – research we don’t need. There’s plenty ‘breast is best’ info out there to convince a hell of lot of women to try to breast feed. The unfortunate thing is that many can’t, for a variety of reasons, or just decide that it’s simply not for them.

I do wonder what the aim of this new research was, exactly. If it was to ‘better inform’ new mums, that just amounts to unnecessary pressure to top off what is already out there. And this is coming from a mother who successfully breastfed without much bother.

I breast fed all of mine but would never criticize anyone who didn’t, I think it is what works for the mother. I always wonder with these studies if they really manage to keep all other factors the same to make a controlled study – I suspect not! #DreamTeam

I’m all for ‘fed is best’ – all the way! There is most definitely a place for facts and figures. But I think the choice of breastfeeding can feel quite personal because it’s attached to our bodies. #dreamteam xx

As a mum who was desperate to breastfeed exclusively and couldn’t, I saw the effect that formula had on my baby! It made her go well above her birth weight centile – she was always big, being born squarely on the 75th, then dropping to the 0.9th, then rocketing up to the 98th after introducing formula (bit of a rollercoaster but that’s another story) and she stayed there ever since – she’s now 3! At her 2 year review I had the HV telling me I need to watch her weight as she is still 98th centile for everything, but she’s such an active child and actually doesn’t eat that much (classic toddler never eating what we put in front of her). Sorry bottle mums, the WHO is right! We wouldn’t “top up” babies with formula if we didn’t want them to gain weight. I obviously don’t know what her proportions would have been if I’d managed to exclusively breastfeed and felt so much guilt over not being able to, as much as this report is informative and important, if I’d been told this while going through what I did when I tried to breastfeed I would have felt even worse! Sometimes we don’t have a choice, the WHO isn’t criticising anyone, but we need to be informed as mothers, don’t we! Fed is best all the way! Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time.

I struggled to breastfeed my first and gave her formula fairly early on as I felt it would be better for my mental health and consequently for my baby daughter. I was well aware of the benefits of breastfeeding and felt so guilty for such a long time, and even ashamed to the point that I’d avoid meeting other mums if I knew my daughter would need to be fed while we were out. I ended up feeling very sensitive at the time to any news story or new report on the benefits of breastfeeding. It almost felt like a personal attack (even though it clearly wasn’t) and it made me get quite defensive. So I can understand why some mums who had intended to breastfeed but who for whatever reason couldn’t, might react quite strongly when reports like this come out. It’s sometimes hard to be rational when your emotions are already running high. #kcacols

It’s because, in a lot of instances it isn’t actually a choice and that’s why sometimes it’s so hurtful and touches a nerve. People are under the impression that if you didn’t breastfeed, you must have chosen to bottle feed. However, it’s not always as simple as that. Some people long to breastfeed, they dream about it, it’s something they always wanted to do, they expect it’s going to happen but this isn’t always the case. For some people, their body or their baby or their circumstances take over and the choice is made for them. The mum with such crippling anxiety and depression that has to take drugs otherwise she won’t be able to get up every day let alone care for her baby. Sometimes this means that she has to drugs that prevent her from breastfeeding. This is not a choice!
The mums with health conditions where drugs are needed to keep them alive and are not compatible with breastfeeding. This is not a choice. The mum who longed to breastfeed but sadly her milk didn’t come through as she hoped and the supply dried up too quickly for her baby. This is not a choice.
As you can see, this issue isn’t always clear cut but sadly the way it is publicised makes it seem that it is. Those that profess that they ‘chose’ to breastfeed making others feel inadequate when just getting through each hour of the day is an achievement. Every woman has their own circumstance and should be able to go through their own experience without judgement or discussion. If feeding your baby in the only way you can makes your child obese well that is something that will have to be sorted out at a later date. Do we need people talking about it, no. Do we need people berating people for bottle feeding, no. Do what you need to do and be happy with your child in whatever way is possible for you.
Good for you if you’re pro breastfeeding, I’m sure lots of people are but that doesn’t mean that every woman who is pro breastfeeding got the opportunity they hoped for. In the end, the most important thing is that children are happy, healthy and well cared for.
And yes, people do get hot under the collar because each time this issue is brought up, they are made to feel inadequate. Those that had a wonderful experience of breastfeeding should be happy and glad of what they had but this doesn’t need to be compared to other people’s experiences.

I agree that the WHO is there to report facts and share this kind of thing. Did they need to do this study? Is it not already widely understood that breastfeeding is probably healthier than bottle feeding. Mums who choose to bottle feed will be doing so for many different reasons and it is not always their choice. I wanted to breastfeed my son but I didn’t have enough milk no matter what I did it wasn’t possible. I don’t care how someone feeds their baby as long as they are feeding them. I think its important to highlight the benefits of breastfeeding along with how best to bottle feed safely and give new mums all the information they need. There definitely is pressure on mums to breastfeed and its not helpful for your mental health to be pressured over something that may be out of your control #KCACOLS

I had wanted to breast feed my kids, but I wasn’t able to do it due to giving them jaundice. I agree with you that the debate over it all is ridiculous. Our kids are still growing and thriving regardless. Also, my kids are all well within their weight ranges and they have all been bottle fed.

its one of those topics that everyone has an opinion on. Personally, i think as long as youre making an informed choice, that you are doing what is best for your circumstances and your baby, then each to their own. As long as baby is fed and is gaining weigh and developing then whats the problem?

I can understand this being a touchy subject. We’re trying for our first baby and as much as I’d like to be able to breastfeed when our little one comes along I simply can’t because of medication I have to take. it used to make me feel really sad but I know so many happy healthy bottle fed babies that I don’t feel that way anymore.

It’s bad timing on the WHO’s part, with the debate over women’s bodies being so prominent in the media right now due to US politics they perhaps could have held off on publishing their ‘findings’ at this moment in time. #KCACOLS

Given the amount of babies, I still don’t think it’s a big enough survey. And people who stand one side or the other usually don’t really care about the baby, they care about controlling women and what they do and their bodies. #kcacols

I just didn’t produce the milk needed, so for me formula was absolutely necessary. But I was still shamed in hospital for 4 days because my milk wasnt coming before a midwife finally rolled her eyes and ‘allowed’ me to feed my baby formula instead of letting her lose even more weight. Yes, I am still pretty hacked off about it. Without formula my baby would have died. So let mums do what is best. Fed is best. Yes, breast is great, but it isnt always possible. My little girl is certainly not obese, and IMO if she was that would be more likely to be down to weaning and feeding choices than blinking formula! I think the WHO need to wind their necks in. #KCACOLS

I can definitely see how this would be used to shame non breast feeding mums. i never breastfed it was the best decision for me at the time. I don;t think my daughter is obese neither are any of my niece’s and my nephew who were all bottle fed too. I think Bread is right with there needing to be a bigger survey done #kcacols

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